Relevant Career Updates

Hello friends! I’ve been working on and working towards new career paths since the loss. At first, I was rather aimless. But over time, the way forward felt more and more about not just healing myself, but also helping others do the same. If my grief helped others not feel alone, or encouraged or strengthened in some way, I wanted to do that. The birth of this Substack was the result of that intention. Another has been espousing the benefits of nature. How being outdoors can help us heal and recover from just about anything.

And while I’m keeping one foot in the travel writing field, what I’ve been working on primarily over the last year-plus has been ways I can do those things while also potentially paying the bills. It’s taken some time for the right opportunities to present themselves and come to fruition, but here we are. And I feel comfortable sharing them here, because they are very much thematically relevant to some primary subjects of my writing.

First up, I am now a Facilitator for the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project. I have developed and will now lead two separate conversations anywhere in Oregon, to any group that wants them. Those conversations are “Grieving in Nature” and “Addiction and Regeneration”. Click here for more about the project, and here for the full catalog of offerings.

Additionally, I am personally offering an updated version of a presentation I gave a handful of times a while back, which is a melding of those conversation topics, and something I would be happy to give anywhere - Oregon and beyond. I’ve already started booking them at public libraries. Here’s the description:

“Grieving and Healing in Nature” is a one-hour presentation by outdoor and travel writer, photographer, and author Adam Sawyer. Through a series of photos and essays, Sawyer details how time spent in the outdoors has aided in his recovery from not just addiction, but the sudden and devastating loss of his life partner and home in early 2022. Sharing personal insights and perspectives from time spent in places ranging from urban parks to Mother Nature's grandest natural cathedrals, Sawyer’s hope is to help reveal the redemptive and healing powers of the outdoors.

Contact me directly at adam.n.sawyer@gmail.com if you have questions or would like more information.

And finally, if you ever find yourself on the Oregon Coast and would like to pay $55 to have the likes of me walk you around and tell you about the tangible and intangible benefits of old-growth forests, now’s your chance :-) I have developed an Airbnb Experience that is now available to the public. There’s also a lighthouse and some flora, fauna, and natural & human history thrown in there, but the old-growth forest walk is my time to shine. Hope to see you soon :-)